LONDON PRESS RELEASE JULY 2015

Heal’s unveils Gareth Neal’s winning bodging design

- ABOVE and leather by Gareth Neal for Heal’s

or one week in February During The Great Heal’s Bodging “By putting yourself in a 2015, six world-class Race, the bodgers created a series furniture designer-makers of handmade furniture using offcuts competitive situation, with took part in The Great from Ercol and Sitting Firm. Bodging limitations of time and the FHeal’s Bodging Race in the retailer’s is a hands-on craft that utilises techniques available, ideas can Tottenham Court Road store, as part of unseasoned and traditional its annual Modern Craft Market. The making techniques to thrive, resulting in variations bodgers brought their craft furniture create unique, one-off designs. The on a timeless aesthetic where to life in the store’s front window, and bodgers who participated at the race design and simplicity work the race was won by Gareth Neal included Chris Eckersley, Sarah Kay, with his oak and leather chair, voted William Warren, Gareth Neal, Carl harmoniously together.” by Heal’s customers. Neal’s winning Clerkin and the designer of Heal’s GARETH NEAL DESIGNER chair, which has been refined by the Koji collection, Koji Katsuragi. designer and Heal’s in-house team, is In April, Neal’s winning chair, produced by Contempo, ready for its along with other bodgers’ designs, launch during London Design Festival travelled to Milan for their this September. first international exhibition at

| heals.co.uk CARO COMMUNICATIONS [email protected], 020 7713 9388 - ABOVE Gareth Neal with fellow bodgers at The Great Heal’s Bodging Race, February 2015

Designersblock during Salone del important interior retailers, with the aesthetic where design and simplicity Mobile 2015. This was followed by opportunity of the piece going into work harmoniously together.’ ● its preview at this year’s Chelsea production. Flower Show, where it was on display ‘The Great Heal’s Bodging Race in landscape and garden designer Jo was a wonderful way of designing Neal’s oak and leather chair, exclusive Thompson’s Garden Retreat. and making furniture, by putting to Heal’s, is to be launched in Heal’s Gareth Neal comments, ‘It was yourself in a competitive situation, Tottenham Court Road store and online in a wonderful experience spending with limitations of time and the September 2015, during London Design a week making furniture in the techniques available; ideas can thrive, Festival. For more information, please visit window of one of the UK’s most resulting in variations on a timeless www.heals.co.uk.

CONTACT IMAGES EDITOR’S NOTES - HEAL’S For press information about Heal’s, Download hi-res images here: Heal’s has been designing, making passionate today as it’s always please contact Caro Communications: http://bit.ly/1JGpJUg and selling quality furniture for more been about introducing new ranges, [email protected] than two centuries now, so it’s no discovering stars of the future and 020 7713 9388 surprise that it’s known as ‘the pushing the boundaries of outstanding IMAGE & LOAN REQUESTS - home of modern and contemporary contemporary design. www.carocommunications.com Lauren Bardini, PR Assistant designer furniture’. Starting out as @carocomms [email protected] a bed-makers in 1810, and later 020 7896 7553 embracing the ideals of the Arts heals_furniture Lizzie Colville:  Heals_Furniture [email protected] and Crafts movement, Heal’s has a long history of collaborating with  Heals Jeffrey Cheung: prominent designers. Heal’s is as www.heals.co.uk [email protected]

GARETH NEAL Gareth Neal has a unique approach that intuitively engage with the to design, through material tacit qualities embedded within the inventiveness, curiosity, and material’s, processes and function. reinterpretation; he has helped to “My designs endeavour to adhere shape a new era within the context of to these principles and create lifelong design and craft. relationships for a more sustainable The studio’s varied spectrum of future,” says Neal. business ranges from individual Neal’s work is part of the pieces for the international collector’s permanent collection at the V&A and market, to bespoke commissions has been exhibited internationally, for private clients, to the design of from the Design Museum in Holon production pieces for industry. Israel, to the Museum of Art and Neal’s work engages with his own Design in New York. personal research through Brighton University into traditional processes and digital manufacture, with designs www.garethneal.co.uk

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